Count To Ten
by MoonlightGardenias
Summary: Written for the Ten Songs, Ten Drabbles challenge. Pairing may vary.


**Author's Note: It seemed simple in the beginning, and it actually intrigued me a little.**

**Ten songs. Ten Drabbles. Put your music player on shuffle, whatever song comes up is the one you have to write a drabble for. Whenever the song is over, you have to stop writing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, nor do I own any of the songs I used. I don't profit from writing this, despite the enjoyment of writing it. **

**Reviews are welcome as always, hope that you enjoy!**

* * *

**1. "Where I Stood", Missy Higgins**

It was stupid.

It was really, _really _stupid.

Not only was he not hers, not only had he never been...but did she really have a chance in the first place?

Because even Mark Sloan wanted something more than the occasional romp in the on call room. Even McSteamy himself longed for something more than just casual, though she knew he'd deny it if anyone asked.

Erica had been different. Erica had been...she wasn't sure what Erica was. But it was different, and when they'd ended, Mark understood.

They had never been a couple really, in terms of actual dating and such. He never asked and neither did she.

So why did it bother her so much to see his hand brushing against the back of Lexie Grey? Why did it matter that Lexie was laughing at him, touching him with her hands? Why did it matter that they both looked so...happy?

Callie sighed and downed the last of her tequila before heading for the door.

* * *

**2. "Irvine", Kelly Clarkson**

He was gone. Really, truly gone.

Of course he had been dead for...how long? But now he was really gone.

She still expected to see him next to her whenever she woke up in the morning, kept wishing to feel him next to her whenever she was walking down the halls of Seattle Grace. Izzie wondered if she had, by some miracle, dreamed the entirety of the past month or two. Had it really been her imagination? Because she was pretty sure she felt it those times in the on call room.

Two weeks, three days, and-she glanced at the clock on the bathroom wall-two and a half hour. That was the length of time since she'd last seen him. It felt like longer.

She didn't love him anymore, not really. But she got her second chance, and now? Now she didn't know what she felt. He left again without so much as a goodbye.

There was still Alex, and Alex loved her. But Denny had always been the one that had left her feeling unfinished. Completely and utterly unfinished.

Tears slid down her face, and she ignored the knocks on the door. There was no way explaining it to Meredith would make any sense.

* * *

**3. "Forget About Us", Tim McGraw**

The bottle of scotch in his left hand was almost empty, the light above Seattle progressively growing dimmer.

He was sitting in the area that was supposed to be their house. The area Meredith had placed all of the candles so many months ago.

But things happened, and it definitely was not how he wanted it to be, but they were over. He took another swig from the bottle at his side. They were _so_ over.

She wanted to get married. Or at least she said she did. Then there was that fight, the one where she said she didn't know if she did, and that she still had doubts. How the hell, after everything he'd done to prove they could make it, could the woman still have doubts?

So, they were over.

But he'd never forget her. No, he had the memories.

He'd told Mark, and the Chief obviously. He was leaving. Going to...he had no idea where. He was taking a rather lengthy sabbatical, and he'd already finished his last day as a neurosurgeon at Seattle Grace.

He needed peace of mind and distance, hoping against hope that he'd be able to rid himself from the thoughts of her.

* * *

**4. "Lost!", Coldplay**

"What are we doing here?" Cristina muttered to herself, glass of tequila delicately balanced in her right hand. She glanced over at her companion, at the one person she had yet to understand.

He shrugged, not knowing how she expected him to answer. She was hard to figure out.

She snorted, turning her attention to waving Joe over to ask for another. "I mean, there's...this...thing. And it's complicated."

"What's so complicated about it?" Owen asked, the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"My person, she's...in her own world. And all of my so called friends have their own problems, and then there's...us." She gestured to the space between them. She saw something in his eye, something that made her feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, while still managing to thrill her at the same time. "You're going to kiss me."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to kiss me, and I am going to like it."

She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but for once in her life, Cristina Yang closed her eyes and simply let herself feel.

* * *

**5. "Storm", Lifehouse**

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Mer..."

They were doing the talking thing. They were figuring out how things had gotten so screwed up. They were trying to fix things.

The problem existed in the fact that Meredith wasn't actually talking.

"I thought we were past this." She said, shaking her head.

"Do you have _any_ idea what pulling you out of that water did to me?" Derek's voice shook with emotion. "I know we've talked about it, but...Meredith..."

She was getting scared. Not because she knew she had to talk, but seeing Derek looking so scared and frightened was something she'd never really seen before. "I'm right here. I'm fine."

"No." He said, his head popping back up. "No, you're not fine. You do that thing. You do that thing where you keep all your emotions inside, you bottle everything up, until one day it explodes. And I can't do that anymore, Mer. If this is going to work...if we are going to work, you have to talk to me."

Meredith nodded, drawing in a sharp breath. She loved him. More than anyone else in the entire world, she loved Derek Shepherd. "I'm not good at the communication...at the telling people how I feel. You know that. But-" She bit her lip, staring him down. "I can try."

"Good." Derek smiled, covering her hand with his.

* * *

**6. "Steer", Missy Higgins**

She was racing down the highway, top down, wind running through her hair.

She had no idea what she was doing.

Derek and Meredith were getting married, they'd invited her, and now she was heading back to Seattle to attend their wedding.

What was she thinking?

She and Kevin broke up after another attempt at trying to make things work. Though Addison expected to feel sad about it, expected their final break up to feel like all the others, she didn't. She felt relieved. They wouldn't have worked, no matter how hard they tried. He was looking for something she wasn't.

By some miracle, she'd yet to catch a single red light. Well, there was one on her way out of town, but on the interstate, she felt more free than she had in a long time.

She wasn't swearing off men permanently, just temporarily. At least until she left Seattle, because God knows she didn't need that kind of drama back in her life.

Oregon. She was somewhere in Oregon, which meant Washington was only a few more hours away. Spotting a sign for an exit, she decided to stop for a bite to eat, thinking for once that her past and future could maybe pause for a minute and wait.

* * *

**7. "Feel It Now", Black Rebel Motorcycle Club**

Alex stood, confused and a little dumbfounded, staring at his father's grave.

He was gone. He was really, truly gone.

"You know, you really don't have to stand there." He laughed, hoping the tears he was holding back weren't quite so noticeable.

"Okay, I'll...I'm here for whenever you need me." Izzie spoke, a little too unsure of herself.

"He was a bastard. He beat the crap out of my mother, hit me a couple times...why should I have to come here?"

"Because he was your father, and if you didn't come, even though you'd deny it, you'd still hate yourself?" Izzie placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine."

"Yeah," He nodded. He knew she was right. "Come on, I saw him...let's go."

"Are you sure?" Izzie asked, fear laced through her voice.

Alex nodded, reaching for her hand. "I just want to go home."

* * *

**8. "Life On The Moon", David Cook**

It was screwed up. It was beyond screwed up.

He was stupid.

How could he have thought going to Los Angeles to see her would be a good idea?

He'd finally come to his senses, realizing whatever it was that was going on with Izzie simply wasn't going to work. Alex had the whole thing planned out, right down to the whole speech about people in your life, and how sometimes you simply couldn't forget them. How could he have thought she'd take it?

Why had he convinced himself it was ever going to work?

He heard a woman next to him speak with the bartender, order herself a drink. He felt her sit next to him.

"What are you doing here?" He muttered, already knowing she was sitting there.

"I could ask you the same question, but I already know the answer." Addison replied. "Why'd you come here, Alex? What made you change your mind?"

He gulped down the last of his beer. Alex knew if he turned his head, she'd be staring at him. He knew she'd see the real reason. "I told you. Vacation." He lied.

"Yes, and you were lying, weren't you?" Addison replied. Maybe it was a mistake to have followed him to the bar, but something told her there was something more there.

He had no idea what he was doing, but he was in deep enough as it was. "Yeah. Yeah, I was."

* * *

**9. "Fix You", Coldplay**

"It's three in the morning..." Meredith groaned, closing her eyes the second her head hit the pillow.

"But we saved a life." Derek grinned, obviously more awake than she was.

"_You_ saved a life, I just helped." Meredith replied, eyes still closed, determined to sleep until the sun was high in the sky the next day, threatening to beat anyone who happened to call.

"You were excellent in there, Mer. Believe me." Derek said, brushing a finger down her cheek. "I love you."

Meredith flipped over, her hands landing on her stomach. "I'm too tired right now, Derek...we've been standing on our feet for..." She tried remembering how many hours the surgery had taken. "Too long. Okay? Can't we just sleep?"

Derek smiled, knowing what she meant, and pulled her in close. "I know. I wasn't saying that because I wanted anything. I said it because it was the truth."

Meredith buried her face in his chest, breathing in the scent of his cologne.

He heard a sob. "Are you crying?"

She shook her head, wishing it wasn't true. "I'm just so tired..."

Derek tried hard not to laugh, and began kneading the muscles in her shoulders. "Just go to sleep, Mer. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Der?" She muttered, already half asleep.

"Hmm?"

"Love you."

* * *

**10. "Bring On The Wonder", Susan Enan ft. Sarah McLachlan**

It wasn't supposed to be serious.

He was her teacher, he was her...something.

She wasn't even sure he knew he'd said it. They were kind of caught up in the moment after all.

Lexie had heard the stories, she knew what kind of man Mark Sloan was before. But there was a side to him she saw that not many people had seen, and she wasn't sure what to think of it. He was still a manwhore, albeit a slightly...different one.

No, it couldn't be happening. She had planned on ending it, because yes she might have been falling for him, but there was no way he felt the same.

Until now.

"You know, I always liked the view up here."

Lexie jumped, turning to look at him. "I thought you were in surgery."

Mark shoved his hands in his pockets, studying the fidgety woman before him. Woman. Everyone else saw her as Meredith Grey's little sister, the quieter one who tended to know everything there was to know about every one of her patients. But he'd come to know her a little better, come to know her a little stronger and...he spotted the deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. Oh. So she had heard him. "Lexie-" He took a step toward her.

There were so many things swirling through her head, so many thoughts that ran rampant. They were on the hospital roof, several inches from the edge. It was a long way down. And Mark...Mark was her only other option. She felt his hand cupping the side of her face, her mind struggling to find something to say. She knew it was okay. Or, she thought, moments before her lips brushed against his, it soon would be.


End file.
